Do you think golf is cool? What does that even mean – cool?

Remember Fonzie on “Happy Days”? He was supposed to be cool. I didn’t think he was cool.

I want to make it clear that I don’t think life is all about being cool. Too often people who define themselves on coolness are aloof and lack the necessary warmth of a likable human being.

But a person can be warm and cool. Arnold Palmer is/was warm and cool. Arnie treats people with warmth and respect … and yet he isn’t needy – he’s cool.

Neediness is probably what defines uncool. But aloofness is unlikeable.

Fonzie was supposed to be the ‘50s rebel – the leather jacket and motorcycle – but he wasn’t cool, probably because the actor wasn’t cool. It’s sort of like those boy-bands that junior high girls love. They act like rebels but they’re really not – they’re a safe version of a rebel.

So we’ve figured out that the essence of cool is being independent. That’s why golf is cool. The golfer needs to be an independent, self-sufficient person. Golf is fundamentally an independent game. You alone are responsible for your shots and score.

Not only are you responsible for your shots and score, but you are responsible for not breaking the rules – you are your own referee. Integrity is cool.

Those counter-culture guys who are playing the cool game by emphasizing their integrity … are not always the real deal … how often do they sell-out when they can? Is that cool? No. But they’d rather have the money.

Is it cool to cheat and win? No. But they’d rather have the victory. Tiger Woods walked a fine line last year. Was he cool because Nike portrayed him as cool? Did his questionable dealings with the rules affect the perception of his integrity? What makes him cool?

Was Nicklaus cool? I didn’t think so. He just never seemed very authentic to me. Did he need a motorcycle and a leather jacket? No – that’s not what I mean. He just seemed too much of a regular guy to be very cool. You could feel that he never wanted to go against the grain. Ironically, Nicklaus idolized Bobby Jones and tried to copy Jones. Well – that’s not authentic. Jones was authentic. Hagen was authentic. Palmer was authentic. Too many players seem like robots. That’s not authentic. That’s not cool.

A major problem is the emphasis on the modern, machine like golf swing. Mix that swing with a robotic personality … and you have the opposite of cool. And you have the opposite of the fundamental nature of golf.

Golf is fundamentally an individual game. Sure, you can make teams, and/or play a scramble or a best-ball … but we all know that golf is an individual game. It’s a game that is great to play alone. In fact, I probably enjoy playing golf by myself more than almost anything in life. Especially at either sunrise or sunset … that’s when golf is really magical … and best to experience the magic alone … no one to interfere with the joy of existence.

Thus the essence of golf is cool. Warmth is needed to share with other human beings – and golf is good for that. But the magic of experiencing the grandeur of the universe is best unencumbered. That is a very cool experience. Golf is definitely cool.